Six Chuck-will’s-widows Injured at Same Location

Editor’s Note: The CROW CAW (Case A Week) series shares stories from the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island, highlighting the risks local wildlife face and how we can help. Read past CAWs here. 

In an unusual case, six Chuck-will ‘s-widows were brought into care after striking windows at Pink Shell Beach Resort.

Chuck-will ’s-widows (Antrostomus carolinensis) are nocturnal aerial foragers, capturing prey in mid-air or from the ground under the cover of darkness. Using their wide, bristle-lined mouths, they swallow prey whole, primarily large insects. Their large eyes are specially adapted for low-light conditions, allowing them to hunt effectively by moonlight.

However, these same adaptations can make them particularly vulnerable to artificial lighting. Disorientation caused by non-natural light sources is suspected to have contributed to this incident, with all six birds presenting with head trauma and signs of neurologic impairment.

Tragically, three of the birds did not survive their injuries. The remaining three are currently receiving supportive care, and our veterinary team is closely monitoring their progress.

CROW’s goal is to stabilize these patients and, if possible, return them to the wild.

Larger than the nighthawk and whip-poor-will, the Chuck-will ’s-widow is a nocturnal nightjar with a distinctive, onomatopoeic call that sounds like its name. With effective camouflage, these birds can be hard to spot and are more easily identified by their phonetic call. While not federally listed as a conservation concern in North America, their global rates are declining due to habitat loss.